Expression of Transforming Growth Factor-beta1 mRNA in Hepatocelluar Carcinoma and Surrounding Liver

Song, Byung Cheol; Chung, Young Hwa; Yang, Soo Hyun; Kim, Jung A; Jung, Sung Ae; Lee, Young Joo; Lee, Sung Gyu; Lee, Sung Sang; Suh, Dong Jin

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) has a central role in hepatic fibrosis and is also related to the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the effects of TGF-beta1 overexpression in HCC remains unclear. This study was designed to assess the role of TGF-beta1 in HCC.
METHODS
We semiquantitated TGF-beta1 mRNA by competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction from HCC and surrounding liver (SL) of 21 patients. We analyzed the relationship between TGF-beta1 mRNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics to assess the role of TGF-beta1 in HCC.
RESULTS
TGF-beta1 mRNA was overexpressed in HCC than in SL (median 2.1 x 104 vs 5.1 x 103 copies/microgram of RNA, p=0.01). TGF-beta1 mRNA was overexpressed in all cases of well differentiated HCC. However, in the cases of poorly defferentiated HCC, the overexpression was observed in 57% of the patients (p=0.06). The overexpression occurred more frequently in single nodular type (87%) than in multinodular type (33%, p=0.03). It also occurred in 100% of cases of tumor less than 3 cm, in 71% of cases of tumor sized between 3 and 5 cm, and in 50% of cases of tumor bigger than 5 cm (p=0.06). In addition, expression of TGF-beta1 mRNA in HCC was inversely correlated with the level of serum alpha-fetoprotein (r=-0.47, p=0.03).
CONCLUSIONS
TGF-beta1 mRNA is generally overexpressed in HCC, suggesting that it may have important roles in the development of HCC. Our data also indicates that TGF-beta1 mRNA expression may play more roles in small, single nodular and well differentiated HCC.